Revelations: Yuma Hashemi, chef-patron, the Drunken Butler

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Oysters. Actually, I don't normally have breakfast, but I'll always take a stroll to Broadway Market first thing and try what fun things they have on offer. It's usually an oyster

 

What was your best subject at school?

 

Hide and seek

 

What was your first job in catering?

 

I worked in a traditional Biergarten [a traditional beer garden] in Berlin

 

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?

 

Surfing around the world

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Hill & Szrok on Broadway Market and L'Exquis in Bordeaux

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Pierre Gagnaire

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Raisins

 

Who would play "you" in a film about your life?

 

Bill Murray

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

My sister. She has always supported me, had my back, and inspired me to travel and discover the world

 

What's your favourite hotel?

 

Hôtel Amour in Paris

 

What's your favourite film?

 

Broken Flowers

 

What do you do to relax?

 

It used to be yoga, but these days it's sharpening my knives after service. It really calms me down

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

False expectations and impatience. There is sometimes a view, especially from younger people, that they should be commanding a certain salary at a very young age. It's important to work hard and they will be rewarded. Our industry is brilliant at recognising talented individuals

 

Who would be in your "fantasy" brigade?

 

Mattia Gerundio, who works with me at the Drunken Butler, Jamie Allen (Hill & Szrok), Sam Kamienko (Leroy), Clare Smyth (Core), Tetsuroh Miyamoto (L'Exquis) and Pierre Gagnaire

 

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